Teen Titans: Interregnum
by DiScOrD tHe LuNaTiC
Summary: Set after the events of Birthmark and The Prophecy, what will Raven do now that the others know about her secret? Continuation of the Dreaming My Dreams With You timeline.


**DISCLAIMER**  
None of these characters belong to me(big surprise), and I'm only borrowing them and will give them all back nicely pressed and dry cleaned I promise. I'm not making dime one off this, it's only done for the enjoyment of myself and others. Please don't sue. All character names and places are copyright DC Comics. 

**SYNOPSIS**  
This is a one-shot, written after the events of 'Birthmark' & 'The Prophecy'. It came to mind while I was listening to Breaking Benjamin's 'Rain', so it's kind of a songfic. 

Teen Titans: Interregnum 

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Dick Grayson, Robin, was having an odd dream. In it, he heard the light sounds of someone walking on a carpeted floor, and opened his eyes to see his girlfriend Raven stalking around the room. She was yanking different books from her library-worthy shelves, she'd flip a few pages and then discard that book, muttering under her breath. As he began to wake up, the dream faded, and Dick realized two things: that Raven's cloak had just whipped out the door, and that he'd actually been watching her as he drifted between sleep and waking. A gut feeling told Dick that there was something wrong, and he was fairly certain it concerned the prophecy Raven had told them about. Quickly getting out of bed and shaking off any residual sleepiness, he grabbed his shirt and pair of jeans from the floor next to her bed and pulled them on, then ran out the door, catching just a glimpse of her cloak disappearing up the stairs that led to the roof. 

--------------- 

"Ray?" Dick called as he walked up on the roof. He shivered; the late September morning air was chilly, and his t-shirt wasn't enough to keep him warm, especially with the light sprinkling of rain that was falling. "Ray, what's up?" 

Raven didn't turn around, but Dick could see her shift her position slightly where she stood. "Rick, I have to go." 

"Go where?" Dick asked. 

"To Azarath," Raven answered without facing him. "I have to go see my mother, and the priests of Azar." She paused, then finished her thought. "And I'm never coming back." 

Dick froze, not believing he'd just heard that. "What?" 

"Ever since I told you all about Slade and the prophecy, I've been researching...trying to figure out a way around it," Raven explained. "It's been a month, and I haven't been able to find anything. I have to go." 

"Ray...wh--...what do you mean you have to go?" 

"There's nothing here that can prevent the prophecy from coming true," Raven said dismissively. "Azarath is my only chance. Tell the others I'll miss them." 

"So you're just leaving?" Dick yelled. "Everything we went through, and you're gonna jet? What about this past year, Ray?" 

" 'I don't have a past, I just have a chance'," Raven recited, her voice low. "If I go back to Azarath, my mother, the priests...maybe they can help me stop this." She sighed. " 'Not a family or honest plea remains to say'." 

Dick swore violently. He'd learned pretty early on in the relationship that sometimes the music Raven was listening to allowed him to glean more about her mood than trying to gauge her subdued physical expressions. "The Titans are your family here, Ray. And _I'm_ making the honest plea. I don't want you to go." 

Raven shrugged. "Your reasons are selfish. You don't want me to leave because you're having sex with me." 

Dick's eyes narrowed momentarily as he heard the girl he loved say that. He wasn't falling for it, though, he'd seen her do it before; she would put on a facade of not caring to spare herself from any negative emotions. "Ray, I don't want you to leave because I _care_ about you. And because you're scaring me." 

Raven's heart beat faster at that, but she remained firm in her comittment. "If you care about me, then you'll understand why I have to do this." 

"No, I _won't_ understand," Dick said. "Ray, you can't tell me that you can just take off and leave here without a backwards glance. Leave _me_. We mean more to each other that, I know we do." 

"You mean we love each other," Raven tilted her head and looked to the horizon, where the sun was rising behind the bridge. "Maybe we thought we did, but it doesn't mean we were right. Maybe...maybe we just needed companionship for a while." 

Dick was starting to get genuinely angry now. "So, what, you're saying that I don't know what love is? And that you never meant it when you said you loved me?" 

"Like the song says," Raven answered flatly. " 'Is it you I want, or just the notion of a heart to wrap around so I can find my way around' ?" 

"It also says 'We are never sad cause we are not allowed to be'," Dick shot back. "You know what I think? I think, deep down, you wanted to find someone, that you wanted so much to be in love you never thought it would happen. And then we got together, and we're _in love_ Ray, and now you're so scared that you'll be responsible for ending it that you're ready to go to another _planet_ rather than take that chance." 

"Because I can't!" Raven shouted as she turned around, her eyes bright with panic. "Rick, don't you get it? When I become the portal, this world will be destroyed! You're going to die, Rick, and it'll be _my_ fault!" She trembled for a second as tears began to run down her cheeks. "I can't let that happen...no matter what. I won't." As Dick walked closer to her, Raven felt herself beginning to lose control of her emotions. And as Dick put his arms around her, she broke down completely, crying and clutching onto him. 

"Ray..." Dick sighed. He pulled back and looked in her eyes. "I don't want to die, and I don't want you to become the portal...but it's not gonna happen. We'll find a way to stop it. We always do." 

"We won't," Raven sobbed, "You _can't_ stop Trigon! He's pure evil, and all he cares about is destroying _everything!_" 

"Ray, please, listen to me," Dick took a deep breath before continuing. "We will find a way to beat him. I promise you that. And I promise you this: I love you, and nothing will ever change that." He stroked her hair gently, touching her forehead to his. "Please don't leave me." At that, Raven threw herself into Dick's arms, her sobbing and tears reaching a crescendo. After a minute, Raven's crying died down, and Dick heard her mumble something unintelligible against his chest. "What was that?" 

" 'To lie here under you is all that I could ever do'," Raven whispered. "You're right, Rick, I wanted to be with someone, so badly...and I couldn't stand the thought of losing you." She took a trembling breath, then looked him in the eyes. "I...I can't leave. I know I should, but I can't...because...I can't not have you in my life." She chuckled as she wipe a tear away from one eye. "Oh, god, that's sappy...I sound like a Diane Warren song." 

"Sappy's okay sometimes," Dick gently teased her. "And no matter what happens, I'll be there with you." 

"I know," Raven sighed. "I know..." She tilted her head up and kissed him. "I love you." 

"I love you, too," Dick said. "Come on. I'll make you breakfast." 

As they turned back toward the door leading up to the roof, Raven stopped and looked up at the sky. 

"Ray? What is it?" 

"Well," Raven said, "If this was the big romantic scene in a movie, then it would've stopped raining right when I decided to stay. And yet..." She held out her hand and quickly demonstrated that the shower was still coming down. 

"That only happens in the movies," Dick grinned. "Real life's a little different." 

"Glad to hear it," Raven smirked. "Okay, no tofu anything, right?" 

"Right," Dick said. "Hold on," he said, stopping and raising his hands to the sky. "Rain, rain, go away, come again another day, all the world is waiting for the sun." He turned back to Raven and smiled. "Then again, there's something to be said for movies." 

"Actually..." Raven said. "Let it rain." 

And taking Dick's hand in hers, she led their way back into Titans Tower, as the rain continued to shower down. 

--------------- 

The end 


End file.
